FMJD (World Draughts Federation) is the international sport body uniting national draughts federations.
FMJD is member of GAISF and strives for Olympic recognition. Our strength is in the unity of draughts.
The First International Webpage of the
history of draughts / history of checkers
is a private,"non-
cultural initiative of
Draughts & Chess Historian:
Dr. Govert Westerveld
Official historian of the FMJD
Official historian of the
Official Member of the
Historical Commission of the FEDA
Member of Ken Whyld Association
For Bibliography and History of Chess
Fellow of the Royall Academy Alfonso el Sabio
Fellow of he Murcian Association of Official Croniclers
Fellow of the Royal Spanish Association of Official Croniclers
Member of the International Association of Hispanists
My late lamented draughts friend
Baba Sy from Senegal.
World champion of 1963
The greatest natural talent in the history of checkers
THE HISTORY OF DRAUGHTS OR
THE HISTORY OF CHECKERS
BASED ON DOCUMENTS.
My draughts historical book of 2004, Part I was written in 1997 with the help of the dutch draughts historian Rob Jansen from Amsterdam.
Part II was written between 2002-
1997
Part I
The influence of the Queen "Isabel la Católica" on the new powerful dama in the origin of the draughts and modern chess game.
2004
Part II
The influence of the Queen "Isabel la Católica" on the new powerful dama in the origin of the draughts and modern chess game.
New researches
Historian: Rob Jansen
(University of Amsterdam)
Chess & Draughts Historian:
José Antonio Garzón Roger
(Foto: Nadja Woissin -
Official Member of the Historical Commission of the FEDA
Garzon:
"Many historicns have intended to make the history of the game of checkers (draughts) without the game of checkers, ie without taking into account the document themselves, technical books and manuscripts; indeed all of them are Spanish ones, outrageous".
Chess Historian
Dr. Ricardo Calvo
Bibliographer of old Spanish
Draughts Books.
Victor Cantalapiedra Martín
Lélio Marcos y Victor Cantalapiedra
Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the Autonomous University of Madrid
Great Cross of "Isabel la Católica".
Dr. Luis Suárez Fernández
All researchers agree that Prof. Luis Suárez Fernández is a historian of the highest
eminence in the world of the queen "Isabel la Católica". This professor wrote an
favourable article about my book of 2004 in the Bulletin of the Royal Academy of
History (Real Academía de Historia), 2006, Volume III cuaderno CCIII-
Professor Emeritus of Spanish Literature University of New York City:
Dr. Ángel Alcalá accompanied by José Antonio Garzón and Govert Westerveld
Prof Alcalá is world's best expert of Juan Ramírez de Lucena and has written more than 30 books.
Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Murcia:
Dr. Juan Torres Fontes
Discovered the draughts book of Josef Antonio García García (1792) in Murcia.
El Professor Torres Fontes, great lover of Marc Bloch, stated ounce:
"I recall the words of M. Bloch, a founder of the School of the "Annales" saying that historians should be judged not by what they know, but what they are investigating".
Profesor Emeritus of Harvard University:
Dr. Francisco Márquez Villanueva
Expert on the subject of "La Celestina," "Cervantes", "Moriscoes" and Juan Ramírez de Lucena.
In recent years, José Antonio Garzón Roger, Dr. Ricardo Calvo and Gofredo Valle de Ricote (Pseudonym for Govert Westerveld) have published many books concerning Francesch Vicent, Lucena, and his father Juan Ramírez de Lucena, viz:
Westerveld, Govert (1997). La influencia de la reina Isabel la Católica sobre la
nueva dama poderosa en el origen del juego de las damas y el ajedrez moderno. En
colaboración con Rob Jansen, Amsterdam. (Prólogo de Dr. Ricardo Calvo y Prof. Dr.
Juan Torres Fontes). Editor Govert Westerveld, Beniel. ISBN 84-
Calvo, Ricardo (1997). Lucena. La evasión en ajedrez del converso Calisto. (Prólogo
de Fernando Arrabal). Perea Ediciones, Pedro Muñoz (Ciudad Real). ISBN 84-
-
Pérez de Arriaga, Joaquín (1997). El incunable de Lucena. Primer arte de ajedrez
moderno. Ediciones Polifemo, Madrid. ISBN 84-
Castellví, Francí de; Vinyols, Narcís; Fenollar, Bernat (1475-
Garzón Roger, José Antonio (2001). En pos del incunable perdido. Francesch Vicent:
Llibre dels jochs partits dels schachs, Valencia, 1495. Biblioteca Valenciana, Colección
Bibliofilia, Valencia 2001. ISBN 84-
Westerveld, Govert (2004), La reina Isabel la Católica, su reflejo en la dama poderosa
de Valencia, cuna de ajedrez moderno y origen del juego de damas. En colaboración
con José Antonio Garzón Roger, Valencia. (Prólogo de Prof. Dr. Juan Torres Fontes).
Generalidad Valenciana, Secretaria Autonòmica de Cultura. ISBN 84-
Garzón Roger, José Antonio (2005). El regreso de Francesch Vicent. La Historia del
nacimiento y la expansión del ajedrez moderno. (Prólogo Anatoli Karpov). Generalidad
Valenciana. Consellería de Cultura, Educació i Esport: Fundació Jaume II el Just,
Valencia. ISBN 84-
Garzón Roger, José Antonio (2005). The Return of Francesch Vicent. The history of
the birth and expansion of modern chess; translated by Manuel Pérez Carballo. (Foreword
Anatoli Karpov). Generalidad Valenciana. Consellería de Cultura, Educació i Esport:
Fundació Jaume II el Just, Valencia. ISBN 84-
Valle de Ricote, Gofredo (2006), Los tres autores de la Celestina, el judeoconverso
Juan Ramírez de Lucena, sus hijos Fernando de Rojas (Lucena) y Juan del Encina (alias
Bartolomé Torres Naharro y Francisco Delicado). Tomo I: Biografía, estudio y documentos
del antiguo autor de la Celestina, el ajedrecista Juan Ramírez de Lucena. (Prólogo
Prof. Dr. Ángel Alcalá). Editor Govert Westerveld, Beniel. ISBN 84-
Garzón Roger, José Antonio (2007). Estudio del tratado ajedrecístico de Luca Pacioli,
Valencia. -
Valle de Ricote, Gofredo (2008), Los tres autores de la Celestina, el judeoconverso
Juan Ramírez de Lucena, sus hijos Fernando de Rojas (Lucena) y Juan del Encina (alias
Bartolomé Torres Naharro y Francisco Delicado). Tomo II: El libro perdido de Lucena.
"Tractado sobre la muerte de Don Diego de Azevedo". Editor: Govert Westerveld, Blanca.
ISBN 84-
Valle de Ricote, Gofredo (2009). Los tres autores de La Celestina: El judeoconverso
Juan Ramírez de Lucena, sus hijos Fernando de Rojas (Lucena) y Juan del Encina (alias
Lucena, Bartolomé Torres Naharro y Francisco Delicado). Tomo III: El misterioso Juan
del Encina. Editor Govert Westerveld, Blanca. Editor: .ISBN: 13:978-
Valle de Ricote, Gofredo (2009). Los tres autores de La Celestina: El judeoconverso
Juan Ramírez de Lucena, sus hijos Fernando de Rojas (Lucena) y Juan del Encina (alias
Lucena, Bartolomé Torres Naharro y Francisco Delicado). Tomo IV: La Celestina:
un señuelo, Fernando de Rojas, y un autor velado, Juan del Encina. Editor Govert
Westerveld, Blanca. ISBN: 13:978-
Govert Westerveld; Consuelo Ciscar (secretary of Culture), José Antonio Garzón Roger and the Minister of Culture, Mr. Esteban Gonzalez Pons, during the presentation of the draughts history book of Govert Westerveld, Valencia, february, 2004.
The lawyer and politician, Mr. Esteban González Pons (here on the photo), is now the right hand of President Rajoy, leader of the opposition party PP at Madrid. During an interview of the newspaper El Mundo, the reporter asked the opinion of Mr. González Pons with respect to certain questiones of the party of the President of the Nation, Mr. José Luis Zapater. It is interesting to see that our politician González Pons replied
some questions in chess terms:
"All kings are always two or three plays from a check, but there is no danger if you know how to avoid it and if it is clear to you where the dama is. Every chess player knows that the important thing in the game is not the king, but the dama (queen). One may lose the king, but one does not lose his dignity if you have kept the dama (queen)"
(Newspaper “El Mundo”, saturday 4th of abril, 2009. XXI Year, number 7.047).
José Antonio Garzón Roger during the presentation of his history book of chess, in presence of world champion Anatoli Karpov and the Minister of Culture, Valencia, 2005.
Harm Wiersma, world draughts champion ( 1976, 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984) and chess historian José Antonio Garzón Roger.
José Antonio Garzón Roger; Anatoly Karpov, world chess champion (several times during
1973-
With my thanks to the world chess and draughts champions that do believe in the connection between modern chess and the birth of the game of draughts, vindicating the Spanish (and more precisely, the Valencian) origin of it all.
Términos y Condiciones, Derechos de Autor, Políticas de Privacidad, Colabora con CF
Copyright 1999-
Dr. Govert Westerveld
Calle Barrio Nuevo, 12-
Telefono 34 96 6799076 Skype: govert.westerveld
Email: govertwesterveld@gmail.com
I started writing when I was a little boy. Perhaps it was because I was reading a lot of books I loved. During many years, I worked in the innovation of new products and in finding new applications for existing products and noted the effectiveness of intuition. Now I use this intuition when researching and writing historical books. Most of my 36 written books are sold by:
